August28th

A recommendation to let police treat simple marijuana possession as a ticketing offence is being opposed by the head of a provincial campaign to decriminalize pot.

Dana Larsen, whose group Sensible BC is set to kick off a petition campaign next month to force a referendum on marijuana policy, says the new resolution from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is counter-productive.

The chiefs’ association argues the option of writing tickets to punish people caught with less than 30 grams of marijuana would be less costly and time-intensive than sending criminal charges through the courts.

“It’s a bad idea,” Larsen said. “It’s actually going to result in more cannabis users being persecuted.”

He said police in B.C. issue warnings or write reports on 18,000 people a year for use of marijuana without laying charges.

“They would all get tickets under that new system,” Larsen predicted.

He said the proposal could confuse B.C. voters as canvassers prepare to ask them to sign a petition that would press for a referendum on a proposed law blocking u. . . . . READ MORE

June17th

The Sensible BC campaign for marijuana reform launched an ad campaign in West Vancouver for a province-wide cannabis referendum

A quarter-million commuters crossing the North Shore this week will have likely noticed the new greenery along Marine Drive near the Lions Gate Bridge.

It’s not in the bushes or trees but rather, um, higher.

The new ad campaign for marijuana legal reform was launched Monday by the folks at Sensible BC.

Their electronic billboard ad lighting up the border between North and West Vancouver features a giant cannabis leaf on a blue background and the words “Join the Sensible BC Marijuana Referendum campaign.”

It’s right now the only ad of its kind from the group promoting a fall referendum on the policing of marijuana in B.C. But depending on the response it garners, it likely won’t be the last.

“If things go well, we’ll get other billboards in other cities and regions around the province,” said Sensible BC director Dana Larsen in an interview with The Outlook this week. “It’s not specific that we’re necessarily targeting West Van more than anywhere else, but it’s a high-traffic area and a lot of folks go through. . . . . READ MORE